The main signs and symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Cervical osteochondrosis is a very common condition that affects both men and women equally. In addition, age does not play a special role here. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear not only in the elderly, the pathology of which is a consequence of the natural process of aging. The disease is increasingly occurring in young people, and in most cases it is their own fault.

The reasons for the development of pathology

This lesion of the spine has a degenerative-dystrophic character. That is, both in the vertebrae and in all of their structural elements, pathological changes occur that cannot be reversed in later stages. This type of osteochondrosis is considered to be the most dangerous because it results in damage to the main nerve roots and vessels that supply the brain. This means that over time, the spine no longer functions normally along its entire length.

The following reasons for the development of the disease can be distinguished:

1. Lifting and moving heavy objects.
2. Considerable sporting loads.
3. Improper weight carrying.
4. Long-term maintenance of a static posture: working on the computer, writing notes, reading books, office work. This is the main reason for young people.
5. Genetic factor.

Of course, inflammatory processes that have occurred in the spine or other parts of the body can also provoke osteochondrosis of the neck. Other reasons are not excluded: hypothermia, trauma, surgery.

Symptom classification

Treatment of the spine should therefore only be carried out after the patient has been given an accurate diagnosis. To do this, the doctor must know the patient's clinical picture and use all instrumental methods of examination. The symptoms that occur in the patient depend on the degree of damage to the body systems:

1. Most of the symptoms from the side of the brain are due to impaired blood flow due to vascular compression.
2. The picture of peripheral nerve damage appears due to compression of the nerve roots emerging from the vertebral foramen.
3. Serious neurological disorders occur in the late stages of the development of the disease due to entrapment of the spinal cord.

Now you can take a closer look at the main signs of cervical osteochondrosis.

The most common symptoms of the pathology

Despite the reason that contributed to the occurrence of the problem, the clinical picture is almost always the same in all patients. Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine include:

• Painful sensations. They are located in the neck, the back of the head and in the collar area. The pain can also spread to the shoulders, chest, and collarbone of the skeleton. Frequent migraines are characteristic of osteochondrosis. Gradually the discomfort becomes painful, chronic. An exacerbation of the pathology causes sharp pain during movement. The muscles are very tense at the same time. Sometimes just one injection - an anesthetic blockade - can clear this symptom.
• Tinnitus, stuffy feeling. This happens due to a deterioration in the blood supply to the vestibular apparatus.
• Dizziness. It is caused by a lack of oxygen due to poor blood supply to the inner ear. This condition is also accompanied by uncontrolled, irregular movements of the pupils.
• Fainting, which the patient can get out of quickly enough as blood flow to the affected area improves.
• Feeling of lack of air. The illustrated symptom occurs due to irritation of the phrenic nerve. That means the patient just can't breathe deeply. He also snores and can suddenly stop breathing. Over time, the patient develops shortness of breath and attacks of suffocation. Further lack of oxygen damages the brain tissue, which leads to impaired attention and memory.
• Nausea. Sometimes any movement of the body or head is accompanied by vomiting, which is difficult to control. The patient's appetite is disturbed and weight is reduced.

• Vision problems. Cervical osteochondrosis can cause a symptom such as "flying" in front of the eyes or fog, decreased severity, violation of the focus of gaze. In addition, exercise therapy or wearing glasses may not correct the problem.
• Pressure change. This condition occurs due to a spasm of the arteries. The patient can even lose consciousness.
• Dry and lumpy feeling in the throat. Sometimes this is the only symptom that says the throat is affected. Therefore, in this case, osteochondrosis can easily be confused with other pathologies.
• Temperature rise. This symptom is unusual. In addition, it is not the basal temperature that changes, but the local temperature. The skin around the neck becomes hot and red.
• Limited mobility. The neck seems to wedge. And you can also hear an uncomfortable crackle and crunch in your neck when you turn your head.
• Weakness in the arms and a burning sensation between the shoulder blades.
• Impaired coordination of movements, which affects the patient's gait.

Some of the signs of cervical osteochondrosis listed above are not specific. This makes it a little difficult to diagnose the disease, since a person does not turn to specialists in a timely manner.

Symptoms of the disease, depending on the degree of its development

Depending on what symptoms are observed in the patient, how common and how intense they are, we can talk about the stage of development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Each degree has its own characteristics:

1. First stage. It is accompanied by periodic headaches, discomfort in the neck, shoulders, arms. The mobility is slightly restricted. There may be a slight decrease in skin sensitivity in the collar area. At this point, treatment is practically not carried out, as patients do not seek medical help. Some patients try to treat osteochondrosis at home with folk remedies.
2. Second floor. The pain in the cervical spine intensifies, an uncomfortable crunch can be heard. A serious violation of sensitivity occurs both in the shoulder area and in the hands. Headache practically does not go away at this stage, the patient's eyesight deteriorates, sounds appear in the head and ears, and the clarity of tendon reflexes decreases. During an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, sharp pains appear, radiating from under the shoulder blade. Here it is no longer possible not to notice the symptoms of the disease, and the patient tries to see a doctor. However, it is no longer possible to completely get rid of defeat. It will only be possible to slow down further development.
3. Third section. Here the collagen fibers of the intervertebral disc have already been destroyed, giving the appearance of a protruding hernia. The fixation of the vertebrae is disturbed and they begin to fall out. Dislocations can even occur. The patient develops very severe pain in the neck and heart, paresis and paralysis of the upper limbs occur, the spine is flexed. Tendon reflexes at this stage of the development of osteochondrosis are practically absent. A complication of this degree of cervical osteochondrosis is a spinal stroke.

If a person "rescues" from illness at home without consulting a doctor, that behavior can lead to disability.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine cannot be completely cured, but timely and correct therapy can slow the progression of the cervical spine.

Which syndromes cause osteochondrosis?

So there are certain symptoms that indicate that a person has a certain syndrome. If at least one sign is missing, then there is no need to talk about such a pathological condition.

There are several syndromes caused by cervical osteochondrosis:

• Radicular. In another way it can be referred to as "radiculitis of the cervix". It appears as a result of pinched nerves. It is characterized by the following symptoms: the presence of pain radiating to the shoulder blades, running down the shoulder and extending to the forearms and fingers; the appearance of "flies" before the eyes; Tingling in fingers, forearms, hands. The localization of the symptoms can vary depending on which pair of roots is damaged.
• Stimulus reflex. It is characterized by acute burning pain in the neck and back of the head caused by movement after sleeping while sneezing. Unpleasant sensations can be given to the chest.
• Vertebral artery syndrome. Here the following symptoms stand out: unconsciousness, nausea, severe burning headache in nature that extends to the parietal, temporal and occipital parts of the skull. The patient is characterized by weakness, hearing loss, eye pain, and blurred vision.
• Heart. It has a distinctive feature - it is easy to mistake it for an attack of angina, so the prescribed treatment may turn out to be flawed. If the patient is diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms of heart syndrome are as follows: sudden pain that increases with the slightest movement; Tachycardia; the inability to stop the attack with special heart pills that promote the expansion of the coronary arteries. At the same time, there are no signs of circulatory disorders on the cardiogram.

Since osteochondrosis has a chronic form, its exacerbations occur regularly. The intensity of the symptoms increases. Emotions can last for a long time, and only an injection of anesthesia can remove them. The tablets may not be effective.

How is a pathology diagnosed?

In order to accurately determine the severity of osteochondrosis and determine the extent of destruction of the vertebrae, it is necessary to undergo a thorough examination of the patient. It includes the following procedures:

• External examination of the patient.
• Neurological tests.
• Duplex scanning or Doppler ultrasound of blood vessels.
• MRI.
• CT.
• X-ray of the cervical spine in two projections.
• Electrocardiogram.

Laboratory analyzes are not meaningful in this case. Although they are sometimes prescribed to help determine the cause of the development of osteochondrosis.

Features of the treatment of pathology

Therefore, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis must be carried out in the first stages. In addition, a sick person can take the necessary drugs, do therapeutic exercises at home, but only after a thorough examination and consultation with specialists.

Therapy must be comprehensive. It is not enough just to get rid of the symptoms of the pathology. It is necessary to try to restore the functionality of the cervical spine. For this, a person needs drugs (pain relievers, hormones, vitamin complexes, chondroprotective drugs), as well as therapeutic exercises.

To get rid of severe pain, which pills can not stop, a special injection is used, which is carried out in the interarticular area. However, this blocking method can only be used a few times a year.

In addition to drug treatment, the patient is offered physiotherapy procedures: massage, ultrasound and UV treatment. If conservative therapy does not work, the patient is prescribed surgical intervention. But it is rather an extreme measure, and it is better not to put the disease into such a state.